Michael Chekhov on the technique of acting: 'Was don quixote true to life?'

As an outstanding actor and author of one of the best actortraining manuals ever published in the European tradition,1 Michael Chekhov (1891-1955) is one of the key figures in twentieth-century theatre. His ability to transform himself onstage was celebrated by some of the major directors of the century, including Stanislavsky, Vakhtangov, Reinhardt, and Meyerhold: whilst his practical advice continues to inspire actors through his writings and through teachers and schools in Russia, Lithuania, Holland, Germany, Great Britain, Australia, the USA and elsewhere.